Being a Burnley-based business that is selling sand to the Middle East ought to give Equestrian Surfaces something to shout about. But the company is surprisingly quiet about its work supplying racecourses and showjumping arenas in markets including Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

“We try not to think about it as 'sand to the Middle East’ because saying that has lost us business in the past,” says Thomas Harper, the company’s operations director. At least one very prominent client from the region cancelled an order when he read a story featuring Equestrian Surfaces which said as much.

“ Now, we say we’re selling a specialist product – it’s not sand from the quarry anyway. It’s a specialist product for specialist demands. There are only three companies in the UK doing what we do – there’s a real art to it.”

Equestrian Surfaces, which was founded by Harper’s father, Paul, 30 years ago, makes all-weather surfaces for racecourses, gallops and showjumping arenas. Demand for tracks that don’t need watering in dry climates such as the Middle East, or surfaces that can cope with extreme cold in places such as Scandinavia has made the business an export success.

The company started selling abroad just over a decade ago and about a fifth of its £4m annual sales now come from overseas. Like many small exporters, Equestrian Surfaces’ first foreign deal came about because of an inbound inquiry, but these days the business is far more proactive.

“Now, we have to be very active and get into the markets and speak to people. You can’t sit there and wait for the phone to ring – it’s still rare for us to get new prospects to ring out of the blue,” Harper says.

Despite stagnation in the eurozone, Harper recommends that first-time exporters should start with somewhere closer to home before tackling fast growing but far-flung emerging markets. “Cut your teeth close to home and perfect the product first,” he says.

“Europe and the Middle East are no problem at all as long as you take the right steps. But you get more complex issues further afield.”

Mr Harper is currently working with UK Trade & Investment, the Government’s export and inward investment agency, to help Equestrian Surfaces break into the Chinese market.

“We’re being helped with market research and it’s the early stages. You do have concerns. They want to copy everything but we are confident we have a sort of 'secret ingredient’ so they can’t take our product apart and build it step by step.”

He says taking time to find the right partner can pay dividends in the long run. “Partners are crucial,” he says. “The right partner in the right country stands you in good stead for five to 10 years.”